RETRO MOVIE – The highly anticipated Matrix: Resurrections arrives nearly two decades after the original trilogy’s release. Here’s all the information you need to catch up with the next film, which we’ll be sharing our review of next Thursday.

The Matrix franchise, written and directed by the Wachowski brothers, was critically acclaimed and a massive hit with audiences and at the box office. The Matrix series is a dystopian sci-fi series that explores the concept of a simulation of the world we live in. Except for The Animatrix, the original trilogy revolves around Neo and his journey to destroy the Matrix and set everyone free. The Matrix, The Matrix – Reloaded, and The Matrix: Revolutions were all planned sequels that further expanded the franchise. The series was thought to have ended after The Matrix: Revolutions in 2003, but the Wachowskis surprised us all with the return of The Matrix: Resurrections in 2021.

The official announcement of The Matrix: Resurrections was made in the spring of 2021, leaving fans with a lot to look forward to. After the official trailers are released in the autumn of 2021, fans can again look forward to returning their favourite characters. The return of Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and even Jada Pinkett-Smith has been confirmed for the new instalment in the franchise, which makes the anticipation even more intense as to what the new film will bring the series. As the same writers and directors are behind the film, we can expect the same atmosphere and shades of green as in the original movies and the hardcore action scenes seen in the original trilogy. Here’s everything you need to know about the original trilogy as we await the latest instalment in the series.

The Matrix

The first Matrix was released at the turn of the 20th century. Around this time, the Y2K conspiracy was circulating when it was believed that all technology was collapsing and satellites and planes in the air were crashing to Earth. The Matrix was revolutionary in its concept and represented – and still represents – a plausible concept. The original film is about Neo, a hacker living an everyday life until Morpheous and Trinity find him one day. Morpheus offers him justice, and Neo accepts, freeing himself from the Matrix. He discovers that the surface of the Earth is no longer habitable, having been destroyed by artificial intelligence created by humans, which humans tried to eradicate but failed.

The entire film follows his journey to discover his purpose and the prophecy that Neo will be the one to destroy the Matrix. Neo initially regrets his decision to leave the Matrix but eventually begins to believe in himself and the prophecy. His doubts hold him back from realising his full potential, and even others start to doubt him. Morpheous’ unwavering faith in himself is what drives Neo to believe in himself and save real people from disaster. By the end of the film, Neo accepts his responsibility as The Chosen One and learns to bend the rules of the Matrix to the point where he can dodge bullets in the manner familiar from the film, and even learns to fly within the system.

The Matrix Reloaded

The Matrix Reloaded is the direct sequel to The Matrix, released in 2003, the same as its sequel, The Matrix Revolutions. After the original film’s events, it follows Neo and shows how humans live on Earth in Zion. We get a taste of ‘normal’ life, seeing how many people there are who have never joined the Matrix. We also get to see Neo operating at total capacity in the Matrix, with amazing action sequences as he works to protect Zion from the sentinels. He tricks his way through the Matrix and the programs within it to do so.

In The Matrix Reloaded, we also gain greater insight into Neo’s purpose and the prophecy of his destiny. In the end, it turns out that he is not the first to try to save the human race from total extinction and wipe out the army of sentinels, as explained by the Architect. So although he is The One, he is not the first “The One”, but that does not make his purpose any less critical. The Matrix – Reloaded gives us everything we got in the original and more. (Even if it’s not as good a sequel as the first part.) Well-choreographed action sequences and the use of CGI gives us more flexibility in dodging bullets, such as when Neo fights a sea of Smith agents or when the albino twins make their way through the architecture to their victims. The Matrix Reloaded is really a tense and exciting sequel in one, and the cliffhanger at the end of the film has everyone wondering what will happen to Neo.

The Matrix: Revolutions

The Matrix: Revolutions was the final installation in the trilogy, released shortly after The Matrix Reloaded. Neo is trapped in a strange, unknown infinity and must find a way out. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of Zion do their best to hold off the army of sentinels until Neo destroys the sentinels. To top it all off, Smith makes a surprise return and stands in Neo’s way to fulfil the prophecy. The Matrix Revolutions brings back Meroving, Niobe, Morpheus and the rest of the original cast from the first two films as Zion fights the sentinels to the best of her ability.

Matrix Revolutions may have less action than its predecessors, but it keeps you interested with excitement at every turn. The film concludes with the Matrix being rebooted and Neo reconnected to the Matrix. Zion escapes the sentinels, but Neo’s future is unknown, leaving the ending somewhat ambiguous. Based on the Matrix Resurrection trailers, it’s already a foregone conclusion that Neo has been reattached and must find his way out again: it’s time for another trip down the rabbit hole!

-theGeek-